Smart Talk

Smart Talk is a daily, live, interactive program featuring conversations with newsmakers and experts in a variety of fields and exploring a wide range of issues and ideas, including the economy, politics, health care, education, culture, and the environment. Smart Talk airs live every week day at 9 a.m. on WITF’s 89.5 and 93.3.

Increasing size of PA legislature?/PA businesses optimistic

As a bill that would shrink the size of Pennsylvania's legislature makes its way through the General Assembly, there are those who say the number of lawmakers should actually be increased. Growing the nation's largest full-time legislature is not something that has been proposed in legislative form, but would it lead to better representation for Pennsylvanians?

Pennsylvania's businesses are optimistic about the national and state economies and the prospects for their own businesses. That's according to the PNC Economic Outlook Survey of Small and Middle Market Business Owners.

A bill now being considered would reduce the House of Representatives from 203 to 151 and maintain the status quo of 50 Senators. An amended version would also cut the number of senators too. A hearing is scheduled before the Senate State Government Committee on reducing the size of the legislature.

The idea to shrink the legislature is to make it more responsive to constituents and efficient. It's estimated it would save $10 to $15 million.

Franklin and Marshall College pollster and political science professor Berwood Yost argues a smaller legislature would actually be less responsive and maybe not save that much money. Longtime Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Baer has often been critical of how the General Assembly operates. Both Yost and Baer appear on Thursday's Smart Talk.

Prof. Berwood Yost

Pennsylvania's businesses are optimistic about the national and state economies and the prospects for their own businesses. That's according to the PNC Economic Outlook Survey of Small and Middle Market Business Owners.

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